You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'Arsenal' tag.
After a fantastic weekend of football action from the best league in the world, we are left with complete uncertainty of whose hands the title is going to end up in.
As things stand Manchester United are still favorites with one point ahead of Liverpool and a game in hand, but the form Liverpool are in is undeniably breathtaking, their 5-0 win against Aston Villa looked like a day out in the sun, nothing taken away from Villa who just were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Man Utd carried on with their low confidence dropping three crucial points at Fulham, who have shown to be a tough team to break down for the big four this season. Though Sir Alex’s men still have a cushion from the brilliant run earlier this season, Liverpool are creeping up and the pressure is now on.
Chelsea on the other hand look good and buried with their defeat to Spurs, a superb goal from Modric was enough to seal the win for the North Londoners, but Chelsea performed well and deserved a point from the game, if not more. Chelsea do have the easiest run to the finish however, apart from Arsenal all their tough games have been done with, so they will need to win for the rest of the season and hope the other two slip up to have a chance.
Arsenal are out of the race, mathematically still possible but now they are just looking to secure fourth spot and focus their attentions to the FA cup and Champions League, the game against Newcastle was a classic end to end game we’ve have come to miss from both teams, great football from both sides but a managerial decision (or indecision) cost Newcastle the game, when Steven Taylor was off the pitch receiving treatment the manager didn’t fill the hole, why? It was an odd decision for no one to think quickly which of course Arsenal took advantage for a splendid goal from Abu Diaby to get the gunners ahead. With the luck Newcastle are running on, relegation fears are looking likely to continue right till the end of the season.
So that’s the review of how the top four are looking as we go into the international break, it will require a whole new post to discuss the relegation battle this season, lets just say the way its ended up positions 10 and 11 (Manchester City and Tottenham respectively) are not safe from the drop, a few bad results and they may face the axe.
Christmas is approaching and so is almost the 19 game mark, things have been quite interesting in the beginning half of the season with teams like Hull and Fulham have been killing off some of their giant competitors leaving a very uncertain view of the top four and how things will shape up in the new year.
Liverpool started off with some brilliant results but with some very poor performances but they got the results that they needed and that’s why they are top. Having wins against Man City away and Chelsea away are all great but then drawing to Hull, Fulham and West Ham all at home is shocking, two of them being goalless, sure Hull are playing well but if Steven Gerrard wants to live up to his wishes pre-season of actually challenging for the title the whole season and not just playing for 3rd or 4th, they really had to get at least 7 out of 9 points in those games, had they had done, they would have been 5 points ahead of Chelsea which would definitely have boosted their chances.
Chelsea showed great promise thrashing teams near the beginning and with their prolific striker Nicholas Anelka, actually I say prolific but I am only really quoting what the press say, I think personally Anelka is the most boring goal scorer in the Premiership, that’s harsh I know but he doesn’t do anything, he doesn’t threaten defenders, he doesn’t link up well he doesn’t know how to pass, he just finishes all the things left on a plate. Its not a bad thing I guess but Chelsea want to live to a standard of attractive football and Anelka is not it, ok sure people will criticize me in saying this but just wait when he goes through a period of not scoring goals he will as useless as the referee, or even worse, Kalou.
Now Drogba, there’s a striker who knows how to make an impact, he terrorises defenders and scores some wonderfully team and individually crafted goals, that’s a striker to be proud of (apart from his attitude). Chelsea did look really good but a string of poor home form has left in doubt whether they really have that edge to win convincingly this season, I do believe they will be up there at the end, but it will be very close with them and Manchester United
Speaking of Man Utd, who out of the top four have had the hardest first half of the season, playing 9 away games against the 9 teams that were in the top 10 last season, and they have managed to come out of this quite well being 3rd in the Premiership only 6 points behind Liverpool with a game to spare, they did lose two really important games against Liverpool and Arsenal, but they have done the business against the rest, the 2nd half will be easier for Man Utd and if Berbatov can kick his old goal scoring form into gear, Man Utd are sure to be strong favourites.
Arsenal on the other hand are not, they have struggled this year and its hard to explain why, the only thing that really makes sense about Arsenal is that they don’t have Flamini, or a replacement of him that is experienced enough to hold that mid-field strong, Denilson is absolutely rubbish, this player doesn’t know how to pass the ball, stay on his feet, or score! I think even Eboue is better than him, and Song, who has started playing in that position recently, is just not good enough. Why Arsene Wenger insists on playing Bendtner I don’t know, especially when you have Carlos Vela rotting away on the bench. I really think Wenger has been very stubborn this season and it does seem he is trying to make a point, his first point being not to fall for the presses pressure, the press said he needs experience, pundits said if he has money to spend, then spend it, he went against this, they also said buy experience, he ignored this and went young again, this has cost them dearly, and they just can’t win games with conviction anymore, just like Arsenal used to.
Middle table looks exciting as ever too, Aston Villa are playing some attractive football and so are Everton, Man City have disappointed defensively but attacking football has been immense for them, almost to the standard of the top four, if they spend in January and with over half a trillion funding them I’m sure they will, you can be sure they will be a menace in the 2nd half, and especially next year.
So in the end, I do predict Manchester United will be crowned once again, but if Chelsea can get their home act together it will be a very close race to the finish. Liverpool, no chance, thats harsh I guess, they do have a chance but I really think its more luck than talent that will take the crown. Arsenal, I don’t like to say but this season they need to pit their hopes on the Champions League, because the premiership is going to need a miracle. I do believe the top four will remain the same as last season.
Please leave your thoughts and predictions.
Did someone say near the beginning that Porto have an outside chance of winning the Champions League? Well they do!
Porto are not a bad team at all, they have a very good attack, some defensive errors yesterday but they have Alves who is experienced and generally a very experienced team, with the Incredible Hulk on the bench to also make a difference. I seriously think Hulk should tattoo himself green! He would be an international superstar!
To say Porto are a good team shows how classy Arsenal were yesterday, they had full strength out yesterday bar Denilson, who I still am not a fan of yet, but he played well, there was no Eboue in the team which was good, as when he gets annoying he really gets annoying! Nasri and Walcott were the wingers who were immense throughout the game, especially Walcott, who looked like he was having fun racing everyone out there, Adebayor and VP used Theo’s pace really well, giving him impossible balls to chase which he did and always got there! His first touch is near perfect too.
Fabregas was the main man though, had control of the whole mid-field being the key for the first goal with his ball to Adebayor, who had great composure to pick out VP to get the goal. The whole game Fabregas was excellent, his passing was the top of his game and Porto just didn’t do enough to man-mark him.
The second goal was a perfect header from Adebayor and they went into the half 2-0 up, 3rd goal, quite funny actually, Van Persie somehow seemed to walk into the box when he clearly should have been tackled and toe poking it in to make it 3, Adebayor made it 4 with a penalty.
A funny moment in the game was when Carlos Vela dribbled all the way in the box, great little ‘Maradona’ run, passed to Bendtner, who began acting like a mad man, it seems like he was tackling him self, and then, the funniest thing, he kicked the ball out for a throw-in, while he was sick yards from Porto’s goal!!! Bendtner has improved but he does do things that make him look dumb at times. Last season he cleared a shot off the line, only thing was it was the oppositions goal and it was Fabregas doing the shooting!!
Great game for Arsenal, the thing is when the first half of the season goes as good as this they tend to crumble, but… they have a much better squad than last year, no worries about injuries now, they have plenty of replacements – Vela, Bendtner, Wilshire, Ramsay, and don’t forger Da Silva and Rosicky to come back, they may just have enough to get that trophy they need!
Fulham 1 - 0 Arsenal
Hengeland 21′
Can Arsenal dig out a scrappy results when needed? It seems not, their performance lacked any penetration, and Fulham displayed excellent persistence throughout the whole match, cutting out passes, counter attacking and just pushing Arsenal back as and when they could. Fulham’s best player was their whole side, they all chipped in and put extra energy behind the game which led to their 1-0 victory.
A notable performance from Hengeland who won man of the match, his goal came from a corner which was whipped in from the left hand side by Danny Murphy, Hengeland easily got past his marker William Gallas to get his toe onto the ball and passed Almunia. Overall it was very poor marking as we have come to expect from Arsenal
Van Persie was the big disappointment today, he is usually devastating on the ball but his passing was poor and he failed to hit the target once in four close range free kicks. Nasri and Eboue played well but Arsenal overall were very poor in passing and no conviction in front of goal. They are really missing Cesc Fabregas and definitely need a solid central midfielder to partner him, Denilson just doesn’t seem fit for this team.
Overall this is a great result for Fulham, though unfortunately it does look like they will have to battle relegation this season as there are too many good teams out there. However, if Arsenal really want to mount a challenge for the title they really can’t afford a slow start so they will have to up their game for next match, and hopefully make the signings they want.
I have just finished reading an article by Jeremy Clarkson in The Sunday Times complaining how we have all stopped behaving badly, and that everyone is polite and courteous, even politicians who now look so boring compared to the days of Winston Churchill and Margret Thather.
The same has happened to football and wrestling, I used to be a huge wrestling fan and in the 90s (a lot of people don’t know this) the surface they used to fight on used to be plain planks of wood and a blue canvas over the top, Mick Foley refereed to it as a very hard thud every time you went down and he said you had to be very committed to be a wrestler. Now a days when too many pretty boys like Edge and Y2K are in the game, they have planks of wood, 1 inch thick foam, and a very soft canvas, the planks of wood are protected by springs so the falls are cushioned even more. What the hell happened to the awesome rivalries you had in the 90s, Stone Cold against McMahon, Tripple H vs The Rock and Mankind, Kane and Undertaker were so flippin good they were better than Hollywood, we all know wrestling is fake and blah blah, but these guys used to put themselves through immense pain just for entertainment. Nowadays you see Edge do a DDT on D Von-Dudley and hit him with a plastic chair and that’s it. Boring!
Same with football, how the hell does the best rivalry end with Alex Ferguson allowing Silvetre to leave to Arsenal, it was almost like United were doing them a favour, you could argue that Chelsea are now the rivals, but can you imagine a fight between winging Dider Drogba and Cristiano Ronaldo, the only real thug left in the top teams is Rooney, but he’s too thick to be a headliner of the rivalries, he would never be a Roy Keane or a Patrick Viera, he would be too busy having a fag by the corner flag.
Its disappointing to see now but there is no anger in the game anymore, you can see passion in the players but it’s the high life and the fat pay cheques that attract their interest the most, that’s not to say that the football isn’t brilliant, its just to say at times it’s a boring game of professionals coming to their place of work, playing football, and leaving in their Lincoln Navigators to their pop idol wives. The loyalty shown to clubs used to be more, now its about individuals. I guess I may be being cynical a bit but lets bring back the thugs! The leaders! The people who wear their shirt with pride!
Last season ended in disappointment for Arsenal as it was another one which finished trophyless. As usual, the beautiful football philosophy was employed by Wenger and worked well as the team looked to have a end product to their genius play. This was until about March however (the same time as Eduardo injury and Gallas’s tantrum. The team didn’t really look the same after that, and things started to fall apart. A mixture of this and bad luck ended a miserable season for Arsenal.
Strengths:
- Very young squad: They will learn from last years disappointments
- Attitude: They’ve got a great footballing attitude which we have come to expect from Wenger.
Weakness:
- Squad size: They never really had a big squad anyway. Now it’s even smaller with the departure of Hleb and Flamini.
- Defence: The incapbility of dealing with a long ball.
- Adebayor: He will remain at the club but how will his saga affect the team’s spirits and morale.
- Captain: Do we dare start talking about a new one?
Our Predictions:
J-Lee: This season cannot be trophyless for Arsenal, FACT. But I don’t think they are stronger that the other three of the ‘Big Four’ especially after their losses. My verdict: 4th.
Ash-sta: I have to agree, Arsenal need a win here and with the way players are leaving morale seems low, but I have always believed Arsene pulls it out of the bag everytime. Definite contenders.
The Doc: Arsenal are well overdue a trophy. Last season they came agonising close, the simply ran out of steam towards the end of the season. With 3 first team midfielder’s departing from the squad, Wenger needs to invest in a central midfielder. I believe its unlikely they will win the league. However, the FA cup will definatly be on his list. They will finsh a respectable 2nd.
Transfers:
- Goalkeeper: With Lehman’s departure and Almunia’s inconsistency, Wenger should turn to Fabianski and buy another keeper.
- Defensive Midfielder: Well, Gilberto’s left after a great period at the club and Flamini stupidly followed him out of the club so he couldn’t play in the Champions League. They need a replacement!
Links: Yahoo! Arsenal Wikipedia Arsenal
Andrei Arshavin has not hidden his desire to play for Barcelona, the club he has dreamed of since a kid. But will the Catalan giants look to fork out the huge price tag on the 27 year old Russian playmaker? £22m is a lot of money for a player who has never played top flight football. His performances at Euros were outstanding, but they were just 5 games, and in the final game he looked exhausted.
With Pep Guardiola being very specific in the players he wants and is not looking to do a Real Madrid and splash his cash on overvalued players, it is highly unlikely Arshavin will join Barcelona. Zenit are acting like a bunch of amateurs starting with a stupid asking price, sure it’s a good trick to tag a big asking price but then they should very flexible on it,but they literally have scared of their main customer, as reports confirm Barca have signed Hleb and probably not looking for another playmaker.
Then will Arsenal take the risk, I say risk because it is a risk, he may collapse under the pressure involved in playing in the premiership or he may flourish and be the ‘Zinedine Zidane’ everyone portrayed him to be. It really is a coin toss, but Wenger is smart enough not to gamble that much money on one player. Though he has been tapping the player and playing his usual games in the press saying he isn’t interested then he is. It may be a trick and if Zenit do end up dropping their price I think we might see Arshavin at Arsenal next season.
Debate: Arshavin – Hit or Flop? Please leave your thoughts…
I’m probably jumping the gun here, but I wanted to talk about a number of players that look likely to leave the English Premiership. All the these players have made some sort of impact last season. So how much of a gap will these players leave? Will the premiership be the same without them? Will the respective clubs be able to replace these players? Or will they struggle in the coming season?
Hleb - it all started with an innocent excursion in Milan with the Inter representative, while deciding what flavour of Italian gelato to have, the Italian journalist put two and two together and quickly deduced that this meeting was more then a social excursion. Hleb has amazing ball control, my colleague Ash-sta rates him extremely highly. His ability on the ball, his passing and movement is awesome, he is a typical Wenger player, who loves to pass. However his goal return is shocking!
In recent weeks Hleb has also since been linked with a move to Barcelona. Personally, I don’t see him as a traditional Jose Mourinho player so I reckon he’s off to the Spanish giants. The question remains… will Arsenal miss him? They have Walcott, Rosicky, Nasri (according to everyone) and Eboue (does he really count)? They have plenty of cover, however there are questions marks over these players, especially over fitness and ability (Eboue).
Lampard – After a difficult season both personally and professionally, Lampard looks set to join his old manager at Inter. J-lee mentioned with the bargain signing of Deco. This one is defiantly going to happen. Looks like J-lee’s post has pretty much covered this one:
Deco’s arrival however seems to signify Frank Lampard’s exit from Stamford Bridge, meaning both he (Deco) and Michael Ballack must add to the goal tally.
Adebayor – Another Arsenal player linked with Barcelona! The 30+ goal’s he scored last season has gone to his head and a number of Arsenal fans are wondering if Mr Wenger should cash in ‘Greedy Adebayor‘. Its always hard to tell what Wenger is thinking, so if Adebayor goes, Arsenal will need to sign a new striker to replace him. Villa, Santa Cruz and Arshavin have all been mentioned as possible replacements for the Big Togoan. Any of these would be a great replacement but he will need replacing!
Finally Cristiano Ronaldo – The first player to win all three player of the year awards in England, there is no doubt he will be (or is) world player of year. But is the Portuguese starlet destined for Real Madrid? During the Euro 2008 all reports suggested that he has already agreed personal terms, and that all that was required is for both clubs to decide a price! Read all about the saga here. Out of all the players mentioned in this post I believe if Ronaldo was to leave he will be the most missed. A player who is regarded by most if not all as the best player in the world is no small title. Who will score the goals? Who will Sir Alex look to when a game needs changing? Did I mentioned who will score the goals?
